Fixed odds betting terminal gaming: Swansea

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Wednesday, 9 February 2011

Swansea v Cardiff Preview

Posted on February 06th, 2011 in English Championship

It’s probably the fiercest derby game in the Championship, as these two Welsh sides go head-to-head for the second time this season with the first game going in Swansea’s favor following a 1-0 victory. Following results at the weekend both of these sides have slipped down the table and both desperately need points to restart their automatic promotion pushes.

Home side Swansea have a superb incentive ahead of this game, with the knowledge that victory over their fierce rivals will see them head into 2nd place. As it stands, Brendan Rodgers’ men have collected fifty points from their opening twenty nine games and with 2nd place Nottingham Forest holding fifty two, the math speaks for itself. The main factor behind their success has been their unbelievable record at the Liberty Stadium. They have won every fixture there since Christmas, but more importantly they have formed a unit that is seemingly near impossible to break down. They have conceded just the five goals at home and even though Cardiff possess some real attacking talent, even they will find it tough to breach this defense.

Cardiff meanwhile have slipped in recent weeks and while there was a time where the Bluebirds were constantly on the tail of QPR, they are now clinging onto their playoff spot in 6th position. Admittedly, they have played up to two games less than some sides around them, but this has all put exceptional pressure on Dave Jones who knows that his side must avoid defeat unless they want to go five points behind their Welsh rivals. There’s no doubt that Swansea’s home advantage will make them huge favorites for this one, but worryingly for Cardiff they’re away form isn’t too brilliant either. The Bluebirds have drawn one and lost four of their last five games on the road, giving them a huge challenge at the Liberty Stadium. In general, their form in recent months hasn’t been promotion-worthy although if they could secure a win here, the confidence from that victory could quite easily restart their promotion bid.

On the team news front, Swansea have several problems as they approach this fixture with Andrea Orlandi, Garry Monk and Neil Taylor all set to miss out. It’s slightly better news for the visitors meanwhile, although Dave Jones will still be without Stephen McPhail and Seyi Olofinjana who are struggling with hamstring and groin injuries respectively. On a more positive note, new loan signings Aaron Ramsey and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas are both hopeful of starts following their recent moves.

You shouldn’t go with the form when it comes to local derby fixtures, but we think that recent results make the outcome here inevitable. Swansea look almost invincible at the Liberty Stadium and with Cardiff struggling on the road, we’re going to predict a 1-0 victory for Brendan Rodgers’ men here.

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Saturday, 22 January 2011

Barnsley v Swansea Preview

Posted on January 22nd, 2011 in English Championship

While many may view this game as pretty dour in comparison with the rest of the fixture schedule, the fact is that the result here could have a huge bearing on the promotion showdown. Results last week meant that Swansea rose to 2nd in the table and with Brendan Rodgers’ men now holding a two point advantage over 3rd place Cardiff, a fixture against a side in the bottom half gives them an excellent opportunity to strengthen their promotion bid.

Barnsley may well be in the bottom half, but their current position is one that the vast majority of their supporters would take immediately if offered at the end of the campaign. The Tykes operate on an extremely tight budget and manager Mark Robins has been applauded on many occasions on how he’s turned the Oakwell outfit around. However, his job has been made even harder this week with the news that star player Adam Hammill has joined Wolves in a deal that will only net the club

Saturday, 15 January 2011

Swansea v Crystal Palace Preview

Both of these sides could make big steps this weekend as Swansea aim to break into the automatic positions, while Crystal Palace are looking to exit the relegation zone. A draw could even help both achieve their aims; although with much of the season remaining both managers will be desperate to get more than that.

When Paulo Sousa left Swansea during the summer, not many of their supporters had much faith in the board appointing someone who could build on his success. However, despite arriving with a dented reputation, Brendan Rodgers has taken Swansea to another level and should they win this weekend, they’ll have an excellent chance of sneaking into 2nd place. However, Rodgers knows that his side must improve their recent form with the club approaching this game having lost three from their last five league games. They do come into this fixture on the back of a win though, having brushed past Colchester in the Cup with a 4-0 result last weekend.

Their opponents meanwhile have had an awful season and George Burley was made to pay with his job just before the start of the New Year. Palace were thought to have approached many different people for Burley’s successor but in the end they appointed from within, with Dougie Freedman being given the role permanently. It certainly seems a bold move, especially with Palace in such a precarious position and with Freedman having no prior experience. This is his first game in charge on a permanent basis and while he oversaw victory in the Eagles’ last league game as caretaker, he’s certainly going to have a job on his hands to keep them in the division. That victory was their only one in their last six league games and having also lost in the Cup last weekend, confidence at Selhurst Park must be at an all time low.

As for team news, Swansea have a huge piece of news heading into this encounter with Alan Tate back in the reckoning after completing a suspension. That makes up for Garry Monk’s absence, as the former Barnsley defender sits out through a knee injury. Elsewhere, Neil Taylor is another absentee as he struggles with an ankle complaint, while Angel Rangel should be available having recovered from his injury. The visitors on the other hand have two concerns. Darren Ambrose and Alex Marrow are struggling with minor injuries and both will be penciled in for late fitness tests.

Both of these sides are in poor form and both have picked up the vast majority of their points at home. Although Crystal Palace won’t make it easy, we think that the Swans will just have too much and will edge this out with a 2-1 victory.

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Thursday, 9 December 2010

Swansea v Millwall Preview

Posted on December 10th, 2010 in English Championship

Both of these sides are by far exceeding their pre-season expectations with Swansea right up there in 3rd while Millwall are sat in 11th. With that, there’s no doubt that both sides need points for different reasons with the home side looking to bridge the gap with the automatic positions while Millwall may even be thinking of a promotion bid of their own.

If there was a way to revive a managerial reputation, Brendan Rodgers looks to be doing it in emphatic fashion with the former Reading boss enjoying a superb time at Swansea. There were plenty of raised eyebrows after he got the job following a poor stint at the Madejski Stadium but Rodgers is certainly proving his doubters wrong, with the club sat in 3rd with an excellent chance of promotion. A return of thirty six points from their opening twenty games puts them within just one point of 2nd place Cardiff and with the Bluebirds playing tomorrow, victory will guarantee the Swans 2nd place if only for a few hours. They haven’t been in mind-blowing form in recent weeks, but having beaten Ipswich in their last outing they’ll certainly have at least some confidence as they aim to build on their promotion push.

Millwall are another side exceeding their expectations and while many thought the Lions would struggle after only just entering the division through the League One playoffs last term, Kenny Jackett’s men are performing superbly and they’ll be delighted with their current position of 11th. It puts them on twenty seven points, five away from the top six, although there’s no doubting that their supporters would grab the chance to finish anywhere in the top half. Just like Swansea, they also come into this game on the back of a win and after brushing aside Scunthorpe 3-0 in their last outing, this promises to be an interesting Friday night fixture.

As for team news, Swansea have a couple of problems heading into this one with Jermaine Easter and Tom Butler both set to miss out through injury. However, Garry Monk should pull through following a calf injury and slot into the middle of Brendan Rodgers’ defence. The visitors meanwhile could be without Liam Trotter who is still struggling with a thigh problem. However, Kenny Jackett is hopeful of having Kevin Lisbie available again with the striker recovering well from a knee strain.

Despite their lofty position, Swansea don’t have great form at the Liberty Stadium and for that reason we don’t think they’ll net all the points here. Millwall will provide tough opposition and with that, we don’t think there’ll be anything to separate these two here

Wednesday, 10 November 2010

Swansea v Bristol City Preview

This is something of a local game for Bristol City, who do not have any other rivals within a close proximity. Swansea come into this game on the back of a real local derby match though and they’ll be full of confidence after seeing off fierce rivals Cardiff on Sunday. With these sides battling at opposite ends of the table, this fixture promises to be an explosive clash.

Swansea fans are probably still trying to get their head around this season with the club defying all expectations and all the way up in 3rd spot. There were thoughts that the Swans overachieved last season under Paulo Sousa and when he left the club, many feared that they would drop down the table. However, Brendan Rodgers has transformed the Liberty Stadium outfit again and they look every bit like a side gunning for promotion. Most of their success is down to their unbelievable record at the back with Rodgers’ men having the second best defensive record in the division. Another proud statistic is that they haven’t conceded in the last six games, which is probably the main reason behind their current unbeaten run of seven games. They come into this game absolutely buzzing though following a narrow 1-0 victory over bitter, and perhaps promotional rivals, Cardiff at the weekend.

In stark contrast, Bristol City are having an absolutely awful season. Keith Millen’s side are sat in the final relegation place and while they could exit with a draw in this game, their position will still fall well short of pre-season expectations. However, they have been steadily improving in recent weeks and having not lost in their last four, perhaps their season is starting to turn around. Even if they do manage to climb a few places there’s no doubt that the pressure is still well and truly on Keith Millen and he’ll have to absolutely transform his side if he is to win supporters over.

The home side have been dealt a massive boost ahead of this one with Darren Pratley available again after sitting out the last game through suspension. However, after the hard fought win over Cardiff, it remains to be seen whether or not Brendan Rodgers will make any changes. There’s just the one piece of news to report for Bristol City who are hoping to include Cole Skuse in their squad. Skuse has been struggling with a heel problem but the medics have now declared him fit to feature in this one.

As for a prediction, we’re going to go with a straightforward Swansea victory. The Swans have showed in recent weeks that they have a remarkable defence and with Bristol City struggling this campaign, we can’t see that being breached this time. Our prediction

Sunday, 7 November 2010

Cardiff v Swansea Preview

Posted on November 06th, 2010 in English Championship

This is one of the most fiery derby games in British football and there’s no getting away from the passion that both sets of supporters bring to this fixture. What’s more, both are riding high after Cardiff moved to the top of the table last weekend while Swansea are also enjoying a superb season and sit two places lower in 3rd.

They’ve been within touching distance so many times, but many feel that this is the year that Cardiff City will finally taste promotion. They’re most certainly one of the most ambitious clubs outside the Premiership and again, their transfer activity has mirrored those ambitions so far. Their recent form is nothing short of unbelievable and after being so far behind QPR only a few weeks ago, the Bluebirds managed to overtake the Loftus Road outfit last weekend after recording another victory in the shape of a 3-1 win over Norwich. That result meant that Dave Jones’ men have now won a staggering seven games from their last eight

Monday, 25 October 2010

Swansea v Leicester Preview

Posted on October 22nd, 2010 in English Championship

This would have been one of the most explosive encounters of the weekend a few weeks ago having featured the return of Paulo Sousa after he quit the Liberty Stadium to join Leicester in the summer. However, following a dreadful start by the Foxes Sousa has now been replaced and it’s been left up to former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson to pick up the pieces. While the Walkers Stadium outfit are struggling at the lower end of the table, Swansea are having a very good campaign and occupy the last playoff place in 6th.

Swansea have become renowned for playing a unique and attractive style of football through the years and when they lost Paulo Sousa during the summer, there were worries that this brand could come to an end. What’s more, there were big doubts over the credentials of new manager Brendan Rodgers, who had endured a truly awful spell in his last post as Reading manager. However, it appears as though Rodgers has learned from his mistakes and Swansea supporters will be very happy with the direction their season is heading. Rodgers has put together a strike partnership of Stephen Dobbie and Scott Sinclair and with nine goals between them already, that’s just one part of the success story. They’ve lost just once in their last eight and having held league leaders QPR to a draw in their last outing, the Swans will definitely be full of confidence as they continue their assault on the top positions.

Leicester on the other hand are slowly climbing up the table following the awful start to the season they had. Since Paulo Sousa’s departure, the Foxes have managed seven points from three games and that’s a significant improvement on the form which saw them rooted to the bottom of the league after the opening weeks of the season. Sven-Goran Eriksson has got to work on putting his own team together and having brought in the likes of Kyle Naughton, Curtis Davies and Darius Vassell already, it’s plain to see that the Leicester squad has already improved immensely on paper.

As for team news, the Swans are preparing to be without Mark Glover for the next six weeks after it was found that the midfielder had torn his hamstring. Brendan Rodgers might hand a debut to Marvin Emnes though after the striker was left on the bench in the midweek fixture. Leicester’s new singing Darius Vassell is highly unlikely to feature as he bids to regain his match sharpness. Matty Fryatt and Lloyd Dyer could start though as the duo return from suspension and injury respectively.

Swansea are one of the few sides in the division who are unbeaten at home but we think that statistic could change this weekend. The Swans are having an excellent season, but Leicester are growing in confidence every game and with the

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